As a long-time practitioner of PR, I often fondly recall the days when a well-crafted message was enough to get attention. Nowadays, the plethora of communication channels–not to mention a growing social media presence–makes the job much more difficult. So, how do we break through the clutter, filter out the noise, deliver the message and drive behavior?

At its heart, PR has always been about exchanging information, a sort of conversation, that builds links to an organization’s stakeholders. I believe, too, that PR is the most effective communication discipline for managing how a brand is received and perceived. PR plays in a brand’s “environmental” space; at best, evoking emotion that builds trust and drives behavior.

Instead of longing for the good old days when a mass message delivered via a few channels did the trick, we need to meet stakeholders where they live with messages crafted for their particular interest. And in the case of social media, simply standing up and waving the brand flag doesn’t get the job done. Yes, we must still deliver information. But now as never before we have communication channels that allow engagement, real conversation, influence. Once upon a time, PR hung its hat on the credibility of news media as a disinterested third-party influencer. Scary to hand over a brand to consumers, but few opinions are more credible than those from whom we consider peers and influencers among our peer group.

Unmassed media–especially social media–present an opportunity for the closest thing to face-to-face communication and conversation with all those who hold a brand’s life in their hands. Does that make our job easier? Definitely not. Does it require more thought, strategy and management? Certainly. Does it require more of an investment than a simple news release, a compelling press kit, hours of pitch calls or an attention-getting event? Most definitely. But the potential return on that investment far outstrips any from papering the universe with nothing but mass messages and hoping that some stick.

I still remember where I was when I heard about Elvis Presley’s death – in the car with my cousins.  The DJ came on the air and reported, “Elvis Presley is dead,” and then proceeded to play a song.  By the time I heard the “news” he had likely been gone for several hours.  Likewise, when Dale Earnhardt crashed and died I heard the news from a neighbor involved in the racing industry about 2 hours after his crash.  When Michael Jackson died the world knew literally within minutes.  The tweets were flying before his body had left the home.

National Tire Safety Week is coming to a close, and having done PR for a tire company for 8 years, I am closer to the topic than most.  Most people do not think about their tires until it’s time to purchase (or well past time to purchase).  The tire shopping experience is not something most women get excited about. However, there are some companies (including the one I work with) paying closer attention to this influential demographic.  Research has proven more than 65 percent of vehicle purchases in the United States and Canada are made by women.  Women also influence 85 percent of service, vehicle and tire buying decisions.  So, it makes complete sense for tire dealers to start paying closer attention to these women who will ultimately affect their bottom line.

AskPatty.com and Tire Review have teamed up to help tire dealers build stronger relationships with women.  AskPatty.com is an automotive advice website for women and Tire Review is the leading B-to-B magazine for the North American tire industry.  Together, they have rolled out a program to help retailers with their sales and marketing skills to become “Certified Female Friendly.”  The complete package for tire retailers is extensive.  Here are a few of the perks:

• Ongoing training and certification
• Private labeled co-branded AskPatty website
• Premier listing in AskPatty.com Certified Tire Dealer search engine

To view more information on the complete package you can visit AMN.  The multi-step program will be administered through webinars and interactive online programs.  This will allow the tire dealer to have as many employees attend as possible.

I’m thrilled to hear the industry is making strides to improve relationships with women.  It’s no longer enough to have clean floors and a nice showroom. Women need to feel confident and comfortable by feeling well informed.

And, to throw in a PSA—be a responsible driver!  Your tires are the only thing between you and the road. Check your tire pressure and tire tread.  Underinflated tires are an enormous hazzard and can cost you big at the pump!

OK, we’ve all seen the video of the Domino’s employee doing gross things to ingredients of a sandwich he’s making. And we all cringe a little, or a lot, thinking how it could have been OUR sandwich. And we probably all made a mental note not to eat a Dominos product for a while, at least until the emotional statute of limitations is lifted.
But how long is that? A week? A month? And how much damage is done to the Domino’s brand in that ensuing time period? It’s hard to measure, but it will total in the millions of dollars.
All because of the power of viral videos, and YouTube in particular. What’s a brand to do these days to protect itself? Now, any whack job with a camera phone can cripple your business with a bad intention and a couple of button clicks. The poor franchise owner in North Carolina had to close his restaurant in the wake of the PR destruction.
Domino’s did the right thing by posting a response from Patrick Doyle, the president of the Domino’s USA, pledging to uphold the standard of quality that his restaurants were built on. Which does little to assuage the fears of the pizza-eating public. Domino’s has the right to prosecute the offenders, both criminally as a violation of sanitation codes, and in a civil suit to address issues relating to the tarnishing of the brand. But they might do better by letting this topic disappear from the public radar as quickly as possible. Out of sight, out of mind. And out of mind is exactly where Domino’s needs this debacle to be.
Besides, haven’t we always known that, behind the scenes in restaurants all over the country, unseen things are happening to the foods we eat, especially in fast food establishments where the average employee is still in high school? We take this as fact. We even joke about not irritating the waiter unless you want spit in your entrée.
I guess, even if we think it’s going on, nobody wants to see it on YouTube.

Trust as a commodity always seems in short supply, but the economic roller coaster of the past few months–more decline than incline–has further shaken confidence in financial and regulatory institutions.

Policy makers and the public alike are questioning whether “What’s good for General Motors is good for the U.S.A.,” attributed to 1950s GM president Charles Wilson. The 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer, the 10th such study conducted among “informed publics ages 25 to 64 in 20 countries” bears this out (www.edelman.com/trust).

Some interesting findings from this year’s study:

• Globally, 62% of the respondants said they trust corporations less than last year; the “most profound fall from grace for business” has been in the U.S.–a stunning 77% said they have less confidence in business
• Interestingly, people in “social model governments” such as the Netherlands and Sweden have the highest levels of trust in business–and those levels of trust rose in 2009
• Counter to conventional wisdom, lower trust in business was not offset by higher trust in government
• The most-trusted companies are headquartered in Sweden, Germany and Canada; the least trusted, in China and Russia with the U.S. falling squarely in the middle
• The most trusted businesses: technology and biotech/life sciences; the least: insurance and media companies. In the U.S., banks and auto makers were least trusted
• CEO-as-spokesperson credibility hit a new low; “an academic or expert in that company’s industry or issues” overtook “people like me” as the most credible spokespeople in 2009
• Respondants said both businesses and governments are responsible for causing global issues such as the credit crisis, energy costs, access to affordable healthcare and global warming, but that government should lead the search for solutions

The study measured for the first time how trust directly impacts a company’s bottom line, via the actions consumers take depending on their level of trust. Trust is also connected to a company’s “license to operate,”  in consumer support for preferential treatment regarding laws, tax breaks, employment policies or environmental impact.

The path ahead? As former WalMart president and CEO H. Lee Scott, Jr. said before the National Retail Federation, “Do special interests refuse to yield on any part of their agenda , regardless of the common good? Or do we come together–government, NGOs and business–in a new approach to solving the big problems facing our country?”

Impressions based on qualified audience numbers reported by media outlets are one of the time-worn measures of a publicity campaign. But just how meaningful are impressions as a public relations metric? And why do PR practitioners and clients still worship at this altar—a measure of output—instead of outcomes?

Don’t get me wrong. We and the client were beyond thrilled when the launch of Greenies Pill Pockets attracted the attention of Good Morning America, Martha Stewart, Parade magazine, the San Francisco Examiner and hundreds of other print and broadcast media. A fair number of the 73 million people who potentially read, listened to or viewed the story did perhaps visit their veterinarian or hustle to the nearest pet store. We couldn’t really say; impressions simply told us our output was impressive.

Think about how we consume news. Who reads every article on every page of the local paper? Every inch of online stories? Or every feature in a magazine? I’m a huge fan of Brian Williams and the NBC Nightly News—when I’m home to watch it—but I can’t say that I don’t, from time to time, tune out when I tune in.

That’s where impressions alone fail as a worthy measure of a PR campaign. Ink and airtime output do not equal brand-advancing outcomes: an increase in sales, a bump in website traffic, a behavioral change or other strategic, measurable objective.

PR can be one of the most effective—and cost-effective—tools in the marketing mix. Those unfamiliar with strategic public relations (and there shouldn’t be any other sort) believe it’s mostly about creating “buzz” and amassing impressions. What’s much more meaningful is PR that understands the customer and their environment: where they “live” and what motivates or drives them to take action. PR that contributes to the bottom line is more worthy and desirable than mountains of ink.

Today, more than ever, the economy is affecting everything.  There are layoffs, budget cuts, salary freezes, just to name a few.  It would be ridiculous of me to think my clients aren’t being affected.  So, as a PR/Marketing Professional, I must make the most of what I am given to work with.  There is no better time for social media to be booming than today.  And, no matter what you think or do, you can’t hide from it.  I just read this blog and it makes complete sense.

There are so many reasons beyond the 11 in this blog to engage in social media, but the biggest one on everyone’s mind is cost-efficiency. However, I believe you have to be very careful with your approach.  If you think you’re going to be able to control a social arena, then you are sadly mistaken.  You must listen to your target.  Find out where they are in the blogosphere.  Be completely transparent and do not pretend to be something you’re not.  If you can do this properly and provide your target with information they are looking for and not just a product pitch, then, most likely, you will be successful.

PRWeek recently highlighted Trone’s work on the Greenies Pill Pockets campaign. The campaign was deemed as a, “testiment to the the business value PR can have when applied smartly to increase awareness of a product that offers a real solution to a consumer problem.”  Click here to see more